I am currently a freshman economics major at UC Riverside. However, I do not intend on returning next year due to a desire to attend community college and then transfer to a better UC. Has anyone gone through the UC-CC-UC route before? And if so, what are the necessary steps to be taken?
One of the main reasons that I became interested in going to a community college next year is because I found out about the transfer admission guarantee program. Essentially, if I maintain a certain GPA (around a 3.2-3.3), I can select a UC that I would like to transfer to. This program excludes Berkeley, Los Angeles and San Diego. However, I am uncertain if the TAG program would be applicable to me if I only attended a community college for one year. Does anyone have any insight into this program?
Thanks in advance.
I’m in the SAME situation as you! I want to withdraw from UC Merced, enroll at a CC, and apply to TAG at UCSB. Hopefully someone responds!
I’m also a freshman at UCR considering doing this due to major and personal (have had a rough year, haven’t really liked it). My GPA isn’t competitive for an intercampus transfer.
I’m not a UC-CC-UC transfer, but I am a UC-UC transfer. I’m not completely sure but since you’ve taken courses at a 4-year university, you might be subject to the unit caps for each school.
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/uc-transfer-maximum-limitation-policy-chart.pdf
Also check out the TAG program at the CCs you’re looking at, such as this one:
http://collegeofsanmateo.edu/forms/transfer.asp
I’m not sure if you could finish the TAG requirements in one year given the requirements.
Perhaps @lindyk8 will have the answers you guys are looking for?
Do it in one year? The rules at http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/tag-matrix.pdf aren’t really clear about whether you need to have CC units when you file a TAG, just that you need 30 semester units at a CC by the time you enroll at the CC via TAG. However you can rule out Davis for a TAG xfer since they say you have to be at a CC from spring the scholastic year prior to when you xfer (eg. to xfer in fall 2016 you’d have to be enrolled at a CC from spring 2015 on).
Riverside takes part in TAG so they know the rules. Make an appointment with an admissions counselor at Riverside and go over the TAG rules as they apply to you. People that work in college admissions offices generally want to help students and won’t take it personally if you want to attend another UC (however its not a good idea to tell them “this place sucks!”). If what’s best for you is another UC I think you’ll find them willing to help explain the rules.
This is a silly plan.
Most majors at Davis are looking for a 3.4 or so in the TAG program. Most of the campuses now exclude some popular majors from TAG. Also, most transferable CC courses are close to equal in effort and expectations to taking the same class at a UC (that;s why they are transferable) Meaning, taking classes at the CC won’t automatically boost your GPA. My point being, if you leave, you might not get in anywhere more desirable than you are - in fact, . You may find yourself stuck at a CC, for an extra year or more just to earn your way back into UCR.
As long as you can afford it, the smart path would be to stay put and apply to Davis etc for a transfer next year. That way, if it doesn’t work out, you are still at UCR.
You’ve been granted a golden ticket (UC Admission) - don’t throw it away because you prefer platinum.
I would caution you that the mandatory GPA for TAG-ing into a mid-level UC is generally higher than the 3.2-3.3 you cite in your original post. In fact the minimum TAG GPA crept upward at UC San Diego all the way to a 3.8+, over the years. At that point the TAG-eligible students had GPAs that were competitive with the most promising non-TAG applicants, so UCSD dropped the TAG program after 2013.
How about a studying abroad (through UCR) for a change of scenery?
Or just try directly transferring!